There weren’t many negatives in New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker’s play during his rookie season. He was quickly thrown into the fold after veteran safety Julian Blackmon went down with an injury after the first game of the year. He quickly became an impact player.
During his rookie season, Sanker reeled in a pair of interceptions. He also surrendered an 84.1 passer rating and a 56.3% completion percentage as the nearest defender, according to Next Gen Stats.
Sanker was a reliable player in coverage and became an asset playing forward to the line of scrimmage. He began making more plays attacking the run and defending the flats.
However, one metric that stands out as a negative for his tenure at safety is his missed tackle frequency.
Over his 16 games, Pro Football Focus credited Sanker with a 17.7% missed tackle rate. That is the eighth-highest among all safeties with at least 500 defensive snaps in 2026.
Now, as he moves into the coveted STAR/slot role, that number becomes less concerning.
When a field-side post-safety is missing tackles at a high rate, those missed opportunities tend to be more detrimental. Often that safety is the last line of defense, trying to force another snap by taking a ball carrier down in the open field.
While playing in the slot, it will be easier for additional defenders to flock to the ball and rally at the point of the tackle. If the concerns persist, fellow defenders will quickly rally to the ball and finish the play.
For what it’s worth, this wasn’t a major issue for Sanker in college. During his time at Virginia, Sanker posted a combined missed tackle rate of just 10.6%. Like many young defenders, though, he needed time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the NFL. That growth will likely come along with experience and exposure.
In his new role, Sanker is set to vastly improve that metric and become a key asset for the Saints’ defense.
